Sartell woman strives to inspire lifelong fitness

Renee Schoen, 45, of Sartell is a personal trainer, business owner, cover girl and figure competitor who believes a person is never too old to start working out for a healthier and longer life.

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Renee Schoen, owner of Renee Schoen Fitness Forever in Waite Park, demonstrates some of her fitness routine using a pilates machine in her gym on May 23. Schoen trained to compete in the figure category of the Mr. and Ms. Natural Minnesota Competition that took place May 23.(Photo: Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com)Buy Photo

Story Highlights

Divorced mother of two becomes interested in fitness after her mom dies at an early age from cancer

The figure competitor took first in a Minneapolis-based competition after not competing for years

She has appeared in a nationally published health and fitness magazine, and wants to help others

WAITE PARK Toned, tan and tough — Renee Schoen of Sartell knows she is not your average mother.

The 45-year-old personal trainer, business owner, cover girl and figure competitor took fifth place last week in the Mr & Ms Natural Minnesota contest in Bloomington.

"What I love about my career is getting to inspire others and show people that you can accomplish whatever goals you set your mind to," said Schoen, owner of Fitness Forever in Waite Park.

Schoen has appeared in Oxygen, a nationally published health and fitness magazine, and Central Minnesota Women, a Waite Park-based publication, as the February/March cover story.

"Heath and fitness are my life, and I believe that Central Minnesota readers are becoming more aware of the importance of it in their own lives also," she said of her personal training studio.

Schoen took home the first-place trophy about two months ago in the figure category at "The Great North" Fitness America competition in Minneapolis after being out of the competition for seven years. Judges look for muscle definition and symmetry in the figure category.

At 45, Renee Schoen continues to push her body to the limit for healthy living and competition.
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Schoen said she stopped competing years ago as a single mother but decided to take up the challenge again, even though she was older, to prove a point.

"There's always a chance for risk and injuries no matter what your age, but I truly believe that it's never too late to start working out, so age doesn't matter," Schoen said.

The average life expectancy in the United States is about 79 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which means more people are taking care of themselves as they age.

"That's one of the reasons why I opened a personal training studio," she said. "I felt the need was here; people were starting to want to get healthier and learn more about nutrition and working out."

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Schoen won several figure competitions in 2006 and is competing again this year. She has already won first place in Fitness America’s open class figure competition.(Photo:
Kimm Anderson, kanderson@stcloudtimes.com
)

Schoen became interested in fitness at the age of 21 when she just had a 5-month-old baby after her mother died at the age of 58 from lung cancer.

"Taking care of myself and being healthy for her was what got me started ... then along the way I started learning about how food changes your body and lifting weights," she said.

"I truly believe that my mother died in order for me to find my place in the world in terms of what I was supposed to be and what I'm supposed to do in this world."

She said her clients range in age from early 30s to mid-60s. They use the free weights, cable machine, Pilates reformer, suspension trainer, elliptical, treadmill, boxing bag and more at her studio.

"I have also not only been changing people's lives but also my own life," she said. "And we all want to be healthy nowadays."